Israeli workers stage major strike

The country’s trade unions are aiming to promote a deal to free hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza

Israel’s trade unions staged a mass strike on Monday to pressure the country’s government to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas and secure the release of hostages being held by the Palestinian militant group in Gaza.

The industrial action was called by Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, after the bodies of six hostages were discovered in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David announced on Sunday that “the entire Israeli economy will strike” on Monday morning, and that “the entire nation will come to a standstill and unite in a shared cry to bring the hostages back.” The union represents about 800,000 Israeli workers.

According to local media reports, hundreds of protesters blocked roads and intersections across Israel, departures from the Ben Gurion international airport near Jerusalem were temporarily suspended, and light rail and bus routes around the country were also at a standstill.

Schools, universities, hospitals and local municipalities, as well as private business owners, were also reportedly expected to join the industrial action.

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The strike was initially scheduled to last 24 hours, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich appealed against it with the country’s Labor Court. According to Ynetnews, the court ruled that the strike must end at 2:30pm local time on Monday, instead of 6am on Tuesday, as originally planned by Histadrut.

Many blame the Netanyahu government for failing to secure a deal with Hamas to bring the hostages home. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Monday that he was trying to use his power in the government to prevent Netanyahu from yielding to protesters’ demands and agree to a “reckless deal.” 

The trade union strike comes against a background of wider protests in Israel. An estimated half a million protesters took to the streets of Israeli cities on Sunday, demanding an immediate ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Sunday’s demonstrations were the largest since the Jewish state launched its war on Hamas in response to the October 7 attack, which left around 1,200 Israelis dead and saw over 200 taken hostage. Some of the captives were later released through prisoner swaps or were rescued by the Israeli army. According to Israel, Hamas is still holding 103 people captive in Gaza.

READ MORE: Protests sweep Israel after hostage deaths (VIDEOS)

The massive military retaliation by Israel has claimed over 40,700 lives in the enclave, according to Palestinian health officials.